Favorite Schools

Favorite Teams

Cleveland Browns' Greg Little is putting in the hard work of gaining trust: Terry Pluto

little-catch-2013-camp-horiz-jk.jpg

Greg Little beat the coverage of defensive back Chris Owens to gather in this Brandon Weeden pass during training camp. Little is spending lots of extra time after camp ends each day to fine-tune his skills.
(John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer)

BEREA, Ohio -- An hour after practice, Greg Little was still on the Browns' practice field. He was running pass pattern after pass pattern. Down-and-outs. Curls to the middle of the field. Sprints down the sideline.

He was catching pass after pass from Brandon Weeden. Just the two of them, on the field, connecting as quarterback and wide receiver.

"I want [Weeden] to know that he can trust me," said Little. "I want him to have confidence in me."

That's why Little joined Weeden in Oklahoma early in July.

"I worked with a big group of guys," Weeden said. "It was good Greg came down. We got three really hard days of work. I threw until I couldn't throw anymore and he ran until he couldn't run anymore, so we got a lot of work in."

About the drops

Little doesn't like to talk about dropped passes, but he knows it's an issue. In 2011, he had 14 drops -- second-most in the NFL according to profootballfocus.com. Last season, it was nine -- ranked 15th.

"My goal is to gain the ultimate trust of my quarterback," said Little. "The more he sees of me, the more he knows me. The more he throws to me and the more plays I make, the more he'll keep throwing to me."

The Browns desperately need a significant season from Little. While Josh Gordon is supposed to be the elite deep threat, he is suspended for the first two games because of a failed drug test. If he fails another one, he could be lost for an entire season. Gordon also has been bothered by a cranky knee in training camp, causing him to miss a few practices.

The Browns added veteran Devone Bess, an excellent short-yardage slot receiver. Jordan Norwood also has made a positive impression at that position. But neither are deep threat receivers.

Minus Gordon, that leaves Travis Benjamin (18 catches last season as a rookie) and Little. When I asked to talk to Little after Friday's practice, I was warned that "You better be ready to wait ... he is one of the last to leave every day."

On the nearly empty field, Little left Weeden and then went to where machines fire footballs at receivers. It's designed to improve their hands and reactions. Little must have caught 100 balls in two different sessions. During a break in practice, he joined the defensive linemen and worked on drills to knock away the hands of blockers.

"Defensive backs try to hold you like offensive linemen do," said Little. "They press you at the line of scrimmage, and I need strong hands to break free."

Little was the only receiver in that drill with the 300-pounders. He started doing that in the spring. He also makes a point to practice against Joe Haden, the Browns' top defensive back.

"That will make both of us better," he said.

Real optimism

Yes, this is one of those upbeat training camp stories. But there is some meat on the bone for starving fans hungry for good news about the receivers with Gordon out.

In the first five games last season, Little had 11 catches and five drops. Weeden only threw to him twice in Game 5, a 41-27 loss to the Giants. He dropped one of those passes, the other was overthrown. In that same game, Gordon caught two touchdown passes and Norwood had five receptions.

Little had fallen out of favor with his quarterback, and for good reason. He had several long talks with former coach Pat Shurmur. Little was battling with fans on Twitter, and seemed distracted and upset.

From that point, he basically shut up and played football. The Twitter account was shut down. He began the extra work after practice. In his final 11 games, he had 43 catches and three drops.

"I just started to focus on the ball and doing my job," he said.

Coaches love his durability and grit. The 6-2, 220-pounder consistently receives high marks for his blocking.

"I think that's an important part of a receiver's job," he said. "I'm not afraid of a collision."

He has never missed a game and has been on the field for 89 percent of the snaps in the last two seasons.

"I really believe the sky is the limit for me," he said in a very quiet voice.

Little is only 24. This is his third season, and he missed his final year at North Carolina after taking money from an agent. He also was recruited as a high school running back who only played receiver in his last two college seasons.

"I have been really pleased with Greg all along," head coach Rob Chudzinski said. "He's made really big strides in the spring. He still has a long way to go and a lot to learn about football, playing receiver and the details of the position."

What is needed is maturity, and Little is gaining it. His coaches and teammates are noticing.

Follow Us

cleveland.com is powered by Plain Dealer Publishing Co. and Northeast Ohio Media Group. All rights reserved (About Us).The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Northeast Ohio Media Group LLC.